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DHCP Server Panel binds to wrong NIC

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8 replies

by dscnbill

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Hi,

We have a 2003 Server with four NIC's in it. All are assigned static IP's, 3 are used for external WAN connections, and 1 for internal network usage.

We have ISA 2004 installed on this specific machine also if this is relevant.

The server is running as a DC, DHCP and DNS server at present, however when we launch the DHCP MMC from Admin Tools, it attempts to bind to the external interface, as opposed to the internal interface where it is servicing DHCP requests.

There are no issues with clients obtaining address during this process, and we can simple 'delete server from list', 'add server' and specify the internal LAN address, and we get to see the DHCP info again.

Any ideas as to why it might be defaulting to an external card?

The error when I initially launch DHCP Snap-in is:

'server.dscentral.local[a.b.c.d]'
X Cannot find the DHCP Server

=> Where a.b.c.d is the external facing card.

Any help would be much appreciated, any more info need, give me a shout.

Thanks,
Bill

8 replies

by dscnbill

Yes, sorry. NIC's 1-3 are all from different ISP's. And the Internal NIC is (naturally), our internal range.

A scope has been specified to service the internal subnet of clients.

by downrighttired

Your DHCP server is trying to hand out local addresses onto the public network?

by fred123456

Bill,
I would be curious to see if you could administer the DHCP server via a remote PC with Admin Tools. I am curious to see, when you added the server in the DHCP snap in, if you received the same error.

Was the server configured as described? Meaning is it possible that the DHCP server was setup on a different NIC originally and then you moved the internal network to one of the new NICs?

Larry

by dscnbill

not quite, when trying to launch the DHCP Administritive MMC snapin in windows 2003, it simply tries to contact the DHCP service on the wrong adapter. Should be contacting our internal interface, but instead tries to bind to an external one and fails.

Its not a dhcp issue, as dhcp runs fine, we just cant administer it through the MMC

by fred123456

Ok well your saying,
" when trying to launch the DHCP Administritive MMC snapin in windows 2003"

I was curious to see if you could administer the DHCP server from a client machine with the Admin Tools installed.

But I'm still wondering how the server was originally config'd. Was the NIC card hosting the internal network, the NIC card used when you setup the server?

Theirs a thought in my head, I seem to remember in Server 2000 their way to set a NIC card as the primary card for the network.

by dscnbill

Thanks LED_IT for the question, I think it was related to the order the NIC's were initially detected by 2k3. One of the other Techie's resolved it by:

Opening 'My Network Places'
Choosing 'Advanced' from the menu above,
Then, 'Advanced Settings'
On the 'Adapters and bindings' tab,
moving 'Internal' to the top of the bind order.

Hope this helps anyone who might have a similar issue.

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